Tim Banks is the CEO of APM, a Canada wide construction and property development company, with its head office in Charlottetown, PEI. My family has lived on PEI for over eight generations and I was born at the Prince County Hospital in Summerside, PEI. I am hoping someone will soon develop a blood test to authenticate when you actually become an "Islander" as I am still having problems explaining where I'm from?

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Good luck there guys with trying to get the "Park" back open but you’re up against some pretty "riley" waters when you relying on our Department of Environment to come to your aid... back when I was a kid I remember my grandfather passing through Tyne Valley and he looked in at the pond which appeared to be very muddy and he said "the water is pretty riley today" and until then I hadn't heard it called that before... over the years I've seen a lot of "riley" water but mostly in the fall and it seems that no matter how far Environment push back the buffers there is just as much red soil getting into our streams... I wonder if the people at environment ever considered that allowing the majority of these motocross enthusiasts to have a contained place like Mudrooters operating it might help keep these vehicles off our beaches and out of our streams where we don't seem to be able to control them or the environmental damage they do... sort of like when I got my license and drag raced all around Town but as soon as they opened the Oyster Bed Drag Park my friends and I curbed our enthusiasm there as opposed to the public streets where we could have hurt someone... and I think that's the case here and it time for Minister Brown to start leading and getting his department on side working with these enthusiasts as opposed to "riley" them up.... over the years Oyster Bed Raceway has continued to bring significant visitors to PEI and I’m pretty sure this will be the case here so let’s get to work and solve the problems not invent them...Environment rules close motocross parkMonday, June 1, 2009CBC NewsA P.E.I. motocross park has voluntarily shut down while it works out problems with the provincial Environment Department.The owners of Mudrooters in Desable told CBC News that the operation will stay closed unless they can resolve some issues raised by the department. They have already had to cancel one event, planned for the past weekend."We're getting a huge response from the riders, parents and family," said co-owner Gary Dunning."They're amazed that it's closed."Mudrooters has stayed open through controversy before, when neighbours complained about the noise.Loss of tourism revenueDunning and his partners met with local MLA Valerie Docherty and environment officials last week. He won't be specific about what issues the department has with the motocross site, but said another meeting is planned for this week.Michelle Arsenault, whose teenage daughter races at Mudrooters, said if the motocross park closes, it would mean a loss of tourism revenue for the province."We probably would have spent over $1,000 this weekend to stay on P.E.I. for our family to have this little mini-vacation," said Arsenault, whose family lives in the western part of the Island."We would, normally, probably do that three or four times during the summer if Mudrooters is open."Arsenault said instead, her family will likely head off-Island for motocross events.The Environment Department will only say it has been talking to the operators of Mudrooters in an effort to "guide" the facility into compliance with provincial guidelines for silt control, run-off and buffer zones.